Leeds United are reportedly readying a move for Hearts starlet Harry Cochrane as Victor Orta looks to steal a march on rival clubs and secure the signing of one of the hottest prospects in Scottish football.

Cochrane has burst onto the scene with Hearts in the Scottish Premiership this season and has caught the eye since manager Craig Levein handed him his first-team debut at Tynecastle.

He has rewarded Levein with a series of eye-catching performances and his form has been so impressive that Leeds are now said to be plotting a January move.

Here's everything you need to know about him.

Who is he?

Cochrane is a 16-year-old Scottish midfielder who plays for Hearts.

He joined the club's academy back in 2014 and has risen through the ranks before penning a first professional contract this summer.

Cochrane penned a three-year deal back in June, taking him through to 2020 at his boyhood club.

What's he done?

The midfielder featured in all four of his side's pre-season friendlies during the summer and actually scored in a 4-1 win against Linfield before being duly rewarded with an inaugural first-team start against Dundee at the tail end of September.

That made him the first Scottish Football Association Performance School graduate to start a Scottish Premiership game.

He has featured in four of the five games since, with Hearts winning twice and losing twice as he picked up two yellow cards across the four fixtures before missing out for the 2-1 home defeat to Kilmarnock last weekend.

One of those four matches was the Edinburgh derby against Hibernian and he also already has some international pedigree having played various age groups in the Scotland team and it was his performances in the Victory Shield which convinced the club to sign him up on professional terms.

Where does he play?

Cochrane is a typical central midfielder and would likely work best in one of the two roles most commonly occupied by Ronaldo Vieira, Eunan O'Kane and Kalvin Phillips in the current Leeds first-team setup.

Given his tender years, Cochrane remains some way off from being able to compete physically, but his vision, range of passing and composure on the ball has been evident in his appearances to date as part of a midfield two in a 5-2-1-2 formation.

What's been said about him?

Former manager Ian Cathro waxed lyrical about his performance in pre season against Linfield.

“Harry is a talented kid, absolutely,” Cathro said.

“People have seen us add Christophe Berra, Kyle Lafferty, Rafal Grzelak and player’s like that, but it is important that we also see young players come through and getting the right balance.

“We want to support the young players and give them the opportunities when the time is right.

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“We always want to be calm with these things, however I am not scared by the fact a player is 16 years of age. He is a talent and we want to nurture him.

“That goes with players like Jamie Brandon, Rory Currie, Euan Henderson, who have had previous experiences. We want to manage it properly and make sure the club gets the most of the work that happens in the academy.”

And new manager Levein opened up on how Cochrane has impressed him since his emergence.

“We really like Harry, we think he’s a smashing player,” he said.

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“It was a set of circumstances with a couple of injuries and some other things which led to him starting his first competitive match at Dundee. However, I really have got faith in him.

“That group around his age are fairly good, plus we’ve got some others just below them who are actually as good or maybe even better.

“I know it’s difficult for Hearts supporters to look in from the outside and say: ‘Well, has there been any progress?’ When you’re inside and watch the kids, as I’ve done for the last three years, you can see the progress being made.

“I’m really looking forward to the point when Harry and some of his team-mates are playing regular first-team football for us.”

How much would he cost?

The Scottish Sun claim Leeds would have to pay an initial £500,000 for Cochrane, who still has just over two and a half years to run on the deal he signed in the summer.

Leeds are keen to complete the deal as soon as possible to avoid other clubs registering their interest in Cochrane's talents, with transfer fixer Orta attempting to conclude a deal as soon as possible.